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Every professional person who does mechanic work and most do it yourselfers should own a grease gun. They are essential pieces of equipment when it comes to lubricating machinery, vehicles and other equipment that has moving metal parts and metal parts that interact with other moving metal parts. Grease will keep friction and heat from building up on those parts to help prevent excess wear that many times leads to part breakdowns. A good grease gun will be your best friend because a properly lubricated part will work better and hold up longer than one that does not have enough grease applied to it.

Are all grease guns the same? The answer to that question is a big no. Just like any other tool, there are very good ones in the marketplace and some that are made very poorly. An inferior quality grease gun may not get a lubricating job done properly or will simply make lubricating a part more difficult to do. So when you are out there in the tool marketplace looking for a new grease gun, most of the time it’s better to spend a little more on a good model if you can fit it into your budget.

So how do you tell if a particular grease gun model is a superior product? Well, that’s why we have written this article. We will review for you several grease guns that we believe are extremely well-designed models. In addition to that, we will also point out some of the key characteristics of grease guns you should consider when you are shopping for one. By the time you are done reading this article, you should know exactly how to go about getting the best quality grease gun for your needs.

** Editor’s Choice – Best Grease Gun – Manual **

This is a really versatile grease gun product that the reputable tool manufacturer GreaseTek has designed. It has a very advanced and simple to use pistol type grip. You don’t have to load it often either as it holds 14 oz. lubricating grease canisters. It even has a bulk filling valve which is convenient if you are a professional mechanic that goes through a lot of grease.

Another nice feature of this grease gun has its advanced plunger design. Everything you do with it from adding pressure with the plunger to dispensing the grease each time the trigger is squeezed works very smoothly.

One of the nice bonuses you get with this model grease gun is its 18” extension hose. It lets you to more easily lubricate hard to get to areas. This grease gun even includes an added extension pipe too to even further increase its already lengthy reach. Its textured barrel makes it easy to hold onto while using it even if there is a slight amount of grease on it.

2. DEWALT DCGG571B 20-volt MAX Lithium Ion Tool Only Grease Gun

** Best Battery Powered Grease Gun **

This is a grease gun for those that are very serious about having a quality grease gun that practically does the job on its own. It’s a very unique design from DEWALT that is part of their very popular 20-volt Lithium-Ion cordless battery tool line. That’s a powerful enough battery that will allow you to fill grease fittings all day without needing to be recharged.

The DEWALT DCGG571B comes with an extra-long hose which makes even hard to reach industrial lubrication jobs very easy. There are also built-in LED lights to help you work when you are trying to lubricate a part in a poorly lit area.

One of the nicer features on this grease gun is it has a variable speed trigger. That allows you to more precisely and quickly fill grease fittings and do other lubricating jobs too. It also is one of the rare grease gun models that have a pump filter screen. The design of this grease gun also allows it to support itself on the ground when placed in a vertical position.

3. Lincoln 1162 Air Operated Grease Gun

** Best Air Powered Grease Gun **

Here is a grease gun that uses compressed air to power it. It’s very well-designed and built to last also. It has an advanced pump design that all but eliminates any priming issues. It’s a check valve assisted grease gun that always offers superior flow performance when using it.

This grease gun can handle up to 6000 PSI grease applications. It requires between 40 – 160 PSI of compressed air to make it work. The setup even includes an extra-long 30 flexible filling hose that will fit a variety of different grease fittings.

This is a great grease gun for mechanics shops that already use a lot of different power tools. It sets up in under a minute and is also very simple to operate. Its variable speed trigger setup makes it an ideal grease gun for a variety of different lubricating tasks.

The Lincoln 1162 grease gun comes backed up by a full one-year warranty from the manufacturer.

This grease gun works great for the affordable price you will pay for it. Lumax has done a great job with its efficient design. It has many features you would expect to find a grease gun model that’s much more expensive than this one.

You can grease many fittings easily thanks to its lightweight and pistol grip design. It even comes with a very flexible and easy to position 18” extension hose. This model grease gun works great in tight quarters. There is an included rod lock that will help keep you from accidentally dispensing grease too.

The Lumax LX-1152 is a tough grease gun too. Thanks to sturdy parts such as its cast metal head and heavy gauge steel barrel. The cast metal head also includes a convenient bleeder valve and an oil-resistant grip. There are 3 different ways you can choose to load this grease gun too; these include cartridge, grease pump, and suction loading.

Drake Off Road has come up with a simple but very easy to work grease gun with this model. This reputable lubricating tool manufacturer proves with this model grease gun that you don’t have to add a lot of bells and whistles to a grease gun design in order to have it work effectively and efficiently.

This grease gun is lightweight and not overly long. At 16 inches and length and 2.8 pounds, it’s very easy to use in somewhat tight spaces. It’s a grease gun model that is easy to prime after loading and features some very smooth working action too.

This grease gun model is also very solidly built grease gun. It’s one that can definitely be described as being a heavy duty model that can handle some serious PSI (7000 PSI) without leaking. The pump head on it is made out of durable cast metal and the hardened plunger rod in its barrel is sturdier than on most grease guns you will find.

6. Plews 30-200 Standard Duty Grease Gun

Here is one of the most affordable grease gun options on our list of the top models. It’s a level style grease gun that applies lubricant smoothly even when under extreme PSI levels (up to 6000 PSI). It may be a simple grease gun design wise but it sure will get most any lubricating job done for you at an affordable price.

The lever action on this grease gun is extremely smooth working and provides lubricant at a steady and even rate. You can also crank the grease up to some 6000 PSI without having to worry at all about it leaking out of the cylinder.

This is not a super-heavy-duty grease gun model. That means that professional grease gun users should highly consider that before purchasing it. It is, however, a great choice for those who only have to apply lubricants on an occasional basis.

Here is an affordable grease gun that works exceptionally well for what you pay for it. It’s not loaded with bells and whistles but it’s perfect for most straightforward lubrication tasks like those found on automobiles.

It’s a smooth working pistol style grease gun. The Legacy Manufacturing Workforce Grease Gun is also mess free due to the fact it uses standard 14 oz. grease cartridges. It could not be simpler to operate and it even includes a 12” flexible hose that makes it a very versatile lubricating tool. Light and heavy duty lubrication users will appreciate how sturdy and easy working this model grease gun is.

The Workforce Pistol Grip Grease Gun weighs less than 2 pounds and is just over 15” long. This is one of the most compact medium duty grease guns you will find in the tool marketplace. This makes it a great grease gun for those who do a lot of lubricating jobs that involve working in tight spaces.

Lincoln Lubrication calls this grease gun a lever action model but it’s more of a hybrid pistol-grip/lever action model. It works really smoothly thanks to its extra heavy duty pump head spring. This grease gun can be used for a variety of lubrication jobs thanks to its variable-pressure, variable-stroke design.

Professionals love this grease gun design because of its ability to be used with a single hand. That leaves another hand free for lining up the discharge hose or doing other tasks.

The Lincoln Lubrication 1133 is a durable grease gun that can handle extremely heavy use and big jobs that require some extra grease pressure to get it where it’s needed. It can handle up to 7500 PSI grease application jobs. It has a cast metal head and as an added bonus, it also has a jam-proof plunger mechanism that helps make using it even more hassle-free. It features disassembly free cleaning too.

9. Performance Tool W54205 Mini Grease Gun Kit with Grease

If you are only an occasional grease gun user and like to keep things simple, this compact and lightweight mini grease gun from Performance Tool may be exactly what you are looking for. Not only is it easy to lubricate parts with it in tight spots but it works much better than you would expect for its size too.

The Performance Tool W54205 Mini Grease Gun is an easy to use pistol grip style lubrication tool. It’s only 12” long and weighs just over one pound. It can handle grease applications that require 3000 PSI or less. It’s very easy to switch out cartridges on it too thanks to its positive locking cylinder and built-in air bleeder valve.

This is a sturdy grease gun but only intended for light use. Great for doing such things as keeping a home reloading press well lubed or carrying it in your truck so you can keep your boat trailer bearings greased up properly on long trips.

10. Milwaukee 2446-21XC M12 12-Volt Cordless Grease Gun

Here is yet another cordless grease gun on our list of the top grease gun models. It’s not quite as powerful as the DEWALT model cordless grease gun we reviewed earlier but it’s still a very easy to use and worthy cordless grease gun product. As a matter of fact, it even has one of the highest working PSI capabilities (up to 8000 PSI working pressure) of all of the grease guns on our best review list.

If you have many fittings to grease each day it can really take a toll on your wrist and forearms if you use a manual grease gun. Not so with this nice battery powered grease gun from Milwaukee. It makes the job of greasing multiple fittings nearly effortless.

The Milwaukee 2446-21XC M12 12-Volt Cordless Grease Gun also has the ability to dispense up to 7 standard size grease gun canisters on just one charge. Its included 30” flex hose makes greasing fittings in tight areas easy and the unit even has a built-in storage compartment for the hose.

The 5-year warranty that Milwaukee backs this product up with is a very nice bonus too.

Pros:

One charge does 7 grease canisters

Battery and charger included

Balanced well – stands on its own

Up to 8000 PSI working pressure

5-year warranty

Built-in storage for its 30” flex hose

Cons:

It takes a short amount of time to bleed the air after a cartridge change

Handy Grease Gun Buying Guide

We mentioned before that not all grease guns work well. In order to find a good model grease gun, these are some of the characteristics you should consider before you purchase a new one:

Style

There are a few different styles of grease guns. Most any of them will do lubrication tasks on a vehicle and other equipment quite nicely. Which one you choose comes down to price, the amount you will use your grease gun and personal preference.

Battery powered

There are not a lot of manufacturers that make battery powered grease guns but there are a few very nice models out there in the tool marketplace. The DEWALT DCGG571B in our countdown of the top grease gun models is a good example of one. Battery powered grease guns are a great option for those that like a powered grease gun that also has to be highly portable.

Pistol grip

This is a hand activated type grease gun. They are very popular not only because of how well they work but also because they can usually be bought at a very reasonable price. There are also a wide variety of different pistol grip style grease guns available in the tool marketplace.

Lever activated

Here is another simple to operate and economical type of grease gun. These style grease guns date back many years so there has been a lot of different improvements in them and they tend to work very well for the low price you pay for them. They may not have a lot of bells and whistles to them but they are a perfect grease gun for light professional mechanic use and for any occasional home grease gun user.

Air operation

Here is a grease gun that uses compressed air to work. These are great for mechanic shops that already use a lot of other air tools also. They tend to be a little sturdier than some other types of air guns too. That’s because they have to be able to handle the increased air pressure that compressed air tools typically work with.

Included flex hose

If you are a heavy duty grease gun user you will want an included flexible hose to come with the grease gun you purchase. This will make it much easier to grease fittings that are located in tight areas. So match up hose length with the types of lubrication jobs you will be using your grease gun for.

Fitting adapters

When shopping for a new grease fun in person or online you will want to make sure it can be attached to the types of grease fittings that you use. For example: if your jobs involve filling many grease fittings that require a Zerk fitting adapter then you will definitely want to make sure the grease gun model you buy has this. Most manufacturers will list on the packaging or their website what grease fittings their respective grease gun models are compatible with.

Filling options

Many big auto and mechanical shops like to save money on grease by purchasing it in bulk. This is a great idea but unfortunately not all grease gun models have bulk filling attachments built into them. So make sure you know the different ways your new grease gun can be loaded. The most commonly used methods for filling a grease gun are bulk filling and cartridges.

Cartridge Size

If you have a grease gun that uses grease cartridges when using it you will have to make sure you know which size cartridges it takes. The most common size grease cartridge is one that’ just over 14 ounces but there are some grease guns in the tool marketplace that use cartridges that are as small as 3 ounces. So know what size cartridge your particular model grease gun uses so you can make sure it has enough grease to do the lubrication jobs you need to do with it.

Construction

A majority of the time you will be using your new grease gun in a shop or other mechanic setup. You will also be using it around many metal parts that you may accidentally bang it against. That means you will be using your grease gun in a pretty tough working environment. Because of this, you will want a durable grease gun that has such things as a cast metal head, ruggedly constructed body and sturdy plunger mechanism. Take a few minutes to read how well any grease gun you are thinking about buying is built.

Easy Loading/Bleeder valve

One of the biggest complaints from grease gun users is that it’s hard to load new grease and then bleed out the air. Look for a grease gun model where the manufacturer has taken measures to make sure these two steps are easy to do.

Weight

If you lubricate many parts throughout the day that can be a pretty tiring experience. Because of this, you will not want to use a heavier model grease gun. So make sure the weight of any grease gun your purchase is in line with the volume of lubrication you will be doing with it each day.

Size

You will want to know the exact dimensions of any grease gun that you purchase. This is especially true if you will be using your grease gun in many different tight spots. Most grease gun dimensions are listed right on the packaging or can be found on the manufacturer’s website.

Warranty

A long warranty is a nice bonus to have with any product. So be aware of how long the warranty is on any grease gun model you purchase.

Even Occasional Grease Gun Users Should Keep One handy

There is no reason that every professional mechanic and part-time home mechanic should not own their own grease gun. They are such a handy tool to have around to help keep your vehicles and other equipment properly lubricated. Grease guns also come in a wide variety of styles and price ranges so everyone can buy one that nicely fits their individual needs. All of the grease guns we reviewed here would make a nice addition to any home or professional tool shop. If you don’t think any of those fit your needs then use the handy grease gun buying guide to help you find the perfect model grease gun for you.